Apparatus for treating articles with liquid



h c. c. JESSEN 1,759,646

APPARATUS FOR TREATING ARTICLES WITH LIQUID Filed July 28, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 20, 1930.

IIIWENITOR" nafles (lessen,

ATTORNEY.

.. 3 a m... ////////A A f lY//[\/ VI May 20, 1930. 4 c; 'JESSEN 1,759,646

APPARATUS FOR TREATING ARTICLES WITH LIQUID Filed July 28, 1927 2 Sheets'-Sheet 2 A l u a Fllkq 8 a b I I g I I:

3 *3 '3 J4) oz ATTORNEY Patented May 20, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC CHARLES C. JESSEN, 0F PASSAIC, NEW JERSEY, A SSIGNOR TO NAPON RAYON CORPORA- TION, OF CLIFTON, NEW JERSEY, A CQRPORATION OF DELAWARE Arrmn'rus iron TREATING ARZTICLES/WITH. LIQUID Application filed m 28,

At a certain stage in the manufacture of rayon or artificial silk it is necessary to wash the filament, wound up inpa'ckages, -as on spools, with water to remove therefrom chemical substance existing thereon. The washing should be thoroughly accomplished, and this it is found is most effectively done if effected so that the liquid falls onthe packages and then drops from them, as by their being supported above or clear of any accumulation of the liquid in v which the washed-off chemical would remain. But it is also found that the liquid should not impinge against the packageswith any appreciable force, since otherwise the windings of the filament, which are usually at this stage formed quite-loosely, are likely to be disturbedso that in the unwinding ofthe packages snarling of the filament with consequent wastage thereof and loss of timeare a result; Henc'efit is found thatspraying the'liquid directly against the packages is not desirable, since the jets are likely to disarrange the windings and by a jet-delivery of the liquid some parts of the packages do not receive their-share of the wetting. 1

What I aim to accomplish by this invention is to provide an apparatus by which the filament packages will be thoroughly and uniformly wetted by the washing liquid, each throughout the whole extent of its wound mass, and that in such a way that the application of the liquid shall be gentle and so notcalculated to disturb the .windings' of the packages. 'This'I have accomplished principally by resorting to means which in effect produces a precipitation of the washing liquid after the manner of rain, the liquid fall'- ing on the packages in drops varying in size and profusely scattered. Butin connection with such means I preferably use a novel form of means for conveying the packages while they are being thus treated with the washin hquid, whereby every portion of the circumferential surface of each package will be certain to receive the falling liquid direct-' l and the thorough and uniform soaking of the packages will be insured.

While I shall herein explain with reference to the treatment of wound the invention.

1927. Serial No. 209,020."

filament packages it will be understood that 1t is also applicablein certain aspects thereof to other articles and materials. It will be also understood that'other liquids than wash- I ing liquids are adapted to be applied in theuse of' the inventiom, a

The accompanying drawing fully illustrates the invention in a case where wound rayon packages are to be washed,

Fig. ,1 being a fragmentary side elevation, partly broken away, showing the essential parts of an apparatus embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 a'sectional View on line 22, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a fragmentary plan of the liquid distributing sheet or wall;

Fig. 4 a sectional view thereof taken length- W138 of 'oneof the rows of tongues therein; an

Fig. 5 illustrates a detail. I

1 designates the frameof the apparatus,

'Which is built usually of considerable length 1 relatively to its width and height. Extend ing'lengthwise of and parallel to one side of the frame is a 'main pipe or header 2 for the Washing liquid or other liquid of treatment, the same having at suitable intervals and extending crosswise of and between the sides of the frame smaller delivery pipes 3 equipped with spray-heads 4 which preferably deliver at the general inclination shown in Fig.1. At each end'of the machine there is journaled in the opposite sides thereof a shaft 5 having sprocket wheels 6. Revoluble-in the supporting means afforded by the frame and these sprocket Wheels and around the sprocket-wheels extend two en'dl'ess chains 7. These chains. with certain other parts to be described, form 'a' rotary conveyor for the packages or other bodies to be treated whose rotai movement is around a horizontal axis: and or imparting. motion thereto either of the shafts may be constantly rotated from any suitable means (not shown). The conveyor includes carriers (which may also form links of its constituent chains) arranged at' suitable intervals. circumferentially thereof.

length of the upper and lower stretches of is anothensueh rail 11 of channel iron, but

with its channelside up, and on the sides or flanges of'thisrail the carriers of the upper stretch of such. chain slide.

wheel 18 with the rack 19, resulting in rotation of the packages strung on the rod.

A tunnel-like structure or housing 20 is suitably supported in the frame 1, as b being hung from the top cross-beams 1. hereof,

having top, bottom and side walls, and it For each carrier of. one'chain there is i struction designed to cause liquid falling com plementary on directly opposite carrier thereon as a spray or in drops to fall thereon the other; The packages, arranged on from substantially like rain in accordance suitable rods as supports, are to be placed on with my invention That is to say, such wall the'conyeyor at one'end of the apparatus by, has openings 521 and under each opening a" oneattendant and upon, bein con-veyed tongue22 which is preferably inclined downthereby-to'i the other end, meanwhile underwardly'and also tapers toward its lower or going treatment, are to be removedby amfree end. The openings and tongues may other attendant, For'fa'cilitatingthe feed be formed-by providing bent (preferably V- ing of the packages to andremoval. thereof shaped) slits in thematerial of the wall from the machine and for insuring thorough- (which is preferably sheet material) and mess and uniformity of the treatment the then bending downward the tongues resultfollowing parts are employedr Each of the ing igs. 3 and They may be formed mentioned rods, 13, is formed with one end in"'the proper size and such proximity. to square, as at 13, Fig. 5, and the other round, each other (as'in 'rows in which the tongues as at 13". The .packages' consist of suitable of one row are staggered with references to cylindrical cores '15 (one appearing empty those of the next and project between the latin Fig. 2) with the filament 16 cross wound ter-Fig. 3) as the profuseness of the rain packages are formed a number of them are distributing means as I have just described slipped over a rod which is thereafter kept interposed between the packages or wound generally horizontal until the packages 'are bodies being treated and superjac'entspray thereon (Fig. 2), their cores being of greater which they, are to produce may require. diameter than that of the rods. hen .the When the machine is in operation with 'sucl to be removed-therefrom. Each rod, loaded fing or equivalent means"'(as 4 for deliverthuswith the packages, is mounted in a porting the liquid in drops generally over the able crate orra'c k, which then affords a suparea represented by so much of said bodies ply from which the attendant who 1s feed- -asare atthe time positioned for treatment ing the machine of this "invention obtains the liquid falling on the distributor trickles thein for that purpose. The mentioned cardown and fallsof its own weight on said riers on one chain have fixed (non-rotary) bodies, after the manner of rain, the tongues, horizontal transverse spindles 17 each formed it being noted, intercepting all liquid that with an outwardly open or U-shaped bearing might otherwise fall through the openings socket 17 at its inneiiend. In the comple' in the form of jets, or subject to the impelmentarycarriers on theother chain are jourling force of the spraying. Said bodies. in

naled horizontal transverse rotary spindles this operation become thoroughly and uni- 18 each equipped at its inner end with a square formly drenched, in part because the rain socket 18" and at;v its outerend having'a effect is profuse and scattered over the whole sprocket-Wheel 18 fixed thereon. Each area represented by the packages being conspindle 18 and its sprocket wheel and form a rotator for a.' rod and the packages carried thereby.- These sprocket-Wheels mesh with a rack 19, which'is here in the form of a chainfixed at both ends to the frame 1 and -extending horizontally and. lengthwise of said frame. lzThe attendant who is feeding the machine takes the loaded rods from the mentioned rack oneafter another and havingfi'tted thesquared end thereof in socket l8 ff'pl'ac'esthe-other or round end in socket 17?. Thereqpo as itis carried along by the rofd I'rotated by the inter- 4 of correspondingsprocket? made to rotate a number of times as it passes from one to the" other end of the machine, so that all parts of its circumference are subject ed to the falling liquid. The inclinations of thesprays and of the tongues are relatively such that with respect to any spray (or jet thereof) the tongues practically completely shield the packages from such sprays (or jets thereof) so that none of the latter which may pass through the openings can as'such reach the packages. A misty, foggy or moisture-laden condition of the atmosphere of course exists above the wall 21,.but this is confined byfthe tunnel,which,,though it may k t veyed and in part because each package is Fig. 1.

.be open at one end for inspection, is preIer-- ably closed at the other to prevent the waterladen air in the tunnel being impelled thereset up by the inclined sprays; the closed end in such case would be the left-hand end in The liquid which falls on the packages drips therefrom intoareceptacle 23 suitably supported by frame 1 below the packages being conveyed, from which it may be discharged by a pipe 24 into a sewer 25 or other receiver, q

I believe'that it is new in machines of this class to provide a conveyor revoluble in the supporting means around a substantially horizontal axis and having substantially horizontal bearings for the articles extending transversely of the path of travel, and arranged at intervals circumferentially, of the conveyor and also having revoluble rotators for the articles axially alined with said bearings, and means to rotate the rotators in the conveyor while moving with the latter.

, It is new, I believe, to treat with a liquid a body of absorbent material havingan approximately cylindrical bore by hanging it on a rotary support of less diameter'than said bore and so that the support penetrates the bore and has its axis of rotation substantially horizontal, and then passing-the sup- I port and said body while rotating the suption of a port on said axis, and thereby also frictionally rotating said body, through liquid falling substantially as a shower.

Further, it is new, given means to support the material to be wetted with liquid, to provide liquid distributing means including a wall arranged in a substantially horizontal plane over the space occupied by said material and having numerous openings therethrough arranged over said space-and obstructing devices respectively underlying said openings and having upper surfaces inclinedgenerally downward, and means to showerliquid upon said wall, said devices being preferably tapered toward their lower ends. It is not. indispensable in the broad aspect of the invention that the specific example, as herein shown and described, beadhered to, viz, that said obstructing devices be tongues formed by bending down the porpieceof sheet material (constituting said Wall) within the bend'o-f a bent slit formed in. the sheet material.

It is further new to provide means to deliver a liquid shower, as by sprays forcibly or otherwise delivering, a chamber to house the shower closed at the top and opposite sides, a bottom for the chamber obstructing the fall of the shower and having numerous openings throughoutla given area and through which the liquid may then pass downward in divided state, and means to convey the articles to be wetted under the chamber and through the liquid falling from said bottom in' such divided state. Spraying a the liquid directly on to the packages is not from by the draft it is found is otherwise only likely to disturb their windings, as hereinbefore pointed out, but to cause a wetting of the machine and the vicinity of the machine and create a mist or liquid-laden atmosphere around the machine which is very I undesirable. In my machine any 'spattering and consequent misty and liquid-laden at- .mosphere are confined within a chamber (the ing its axis of rotation substantially'horizontal, and then passing the support and said body while rotating the support on its said axis, andthereby also frictionally rotating said body, through liquid falling substantially as a shower. e

, 2. In c mbination, means to support the material to e wetted with liquid, liquid distributing means including a wall arranged in a substantially horizontal plane over the space occupied by said material and having numerous openings therethrough arranged over saidspace and obstructing devices, respectively underlying said openings and having upper surfaces inclined generally down- Ward, and means to shower liquid upon said wall.

3. In combination, means to support the material to be wetted with liquid, liquid distributing means including a wall arra ed in a substantially horizontal plane ove the space occupied by said material and having, numerous openings th erethrough arranged over said space and obstructing devices respectively underlying said openings and having upper surfaces inclined generally downward and each being tapered toward its lower end, and means to shower liquid upon said wall. h

4. In combination, means to support the material to be wetted with liquid, a; liquid distributing wall of sheet material arranged 'in a substantially horizontal plane over the the wall and depending inclined tongues respectively under the openings, and means to shower liquid upon said wall. I

5. In combination, means to deliver a liquid shower, a chamber to house the shower closed at the top and and opposite sides, a bottom forthe chamber obstructing the fall of the shower and having numerous openings throughout a given area and through which the liquid may then pass downward in a divided state, and means to convey'the a1"- t'icles to be wetted under the chamber and through the liquid falling from said bottom in such divided state.

a In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

. CHARLES C. JESSEINF 

